13 Regional Flood Alerts and 22 Local Flood Warnings Now in Force.
From late Sunday across to Tuesday, West, Central, Tayside and Northern Scotland will see persistent, often heavy rain and winds, with significant flooding impacts possible, particularly around the Spey, Forth and Tay and minor impacts possible across the broader areas.
Take care when walking or travelling near coastal areas, including the Western Isles and Orkney, due to surge, strong winds and wave overtopping.
Ruth Ellis, Duty Flood Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: “From late Sunday across to Tuesday, West, Central, Tayside and Northern Scotland will see persistent, often heavy rain and winds, with significant flooding impacts possible, particularly around the Spey, Forth and Tay and minor impacts possible across the broader areas.
“Take care when walking or travelling near coastal areas, including the Western Isles and Orkney, due to surge, strong winds and wave overtopping.
“13 Regional Flood Alerts and 22 local Flood Warnings are now in place, and people living and working in affected areas are advised to plan their essential journeys and consider the steps they need to take now to be prepared.
“Stay up to date with SEPA’s regional flood alerts and local flood warnings at sepa.org.uk/floodupdates and sign-up for our free Floodline service by calling 0345 988 1188 or by clicking floodlinescotland.org.uk.”
Staying informed
Check the latest information on SEPA’s Regional Flood Alerts and Local Floor Warnings at sepa.org.uk/floodupdates
Don’t walk through flood water – 15cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet and hazards can be hidden under the water.
Drive with care, and do not travel through deep fast flowing water. It only takes 30cm of fast flowing water to move an average family sized car.
If you’re walking beside rivers be extra careful of wet footpaths and possibly small watercourses in spate.
Consider deploying flooding protection products if required.
What’s the difference between a Flood Alert and a Flood Warning?
We use forecast weather information provided by the Met Office combined with our own observation of rainfall and river levels and advanced hydrological modelling to provide advance warning of flooding.
Regional Flood Alerts are early advice that flooding is possible across a wider geographical area. The purpose of the Alerts is to make people aware of the risk of flooding and be prepared. We normally issue them 12 to 24 hours in advance of the possibility of flooding.
Flood Warnings are more locally specific and are issued for areas where we have gauges on rivers to measure the exact river height. They are issued at shorter notice when we are more certain that a specific area will be affected.
A new Scotland wide inquiry into how communities can hold the power to lead on change from within has appointed two independent Co-Chairs with extensive experience of supporting people who are most excluded in society.
The Social Action Inquiry will support communities to take action together, create change and share power, whilst working alongside them to understand what helps and what gets in the way of progress.
Led by people living and working in Scottish communities, this three-year independent inquiry will:
Provide money and power to communities to undertake activity, which they direct and lead on.
Support people to find their voices, take action and use what they learn to create wider change.
Try to make change as it goes along, partly by bringing together people who hold power, and those currently furthest from it.
Build evidence for longer term change in Scotland.
Sam Anderson and Catherine-Rose Stocks-Rankin join the Inquiry as the newly appointed Co-Chairs. They will be passionate advocates for participation, collaboration and shifting power so that change is led by the knowledge held by communities.
Sam is the Founder of The Junction (Young People, Health & Wellbeing), an award-winning charity based in Edinburgh which works with and for young people on a range of health issues.
She brings extensive experience as a coach, mentor and facilitator supporting people furthest from power to feel understood and heard amongst systems that might otherwise exclude them.
Sam said: “Social Action has been a significant part of my life journey. I am therefore delighted the need for an Independent Social Action Inquiry for Scotland has been recognised and invested in.
“I feel honoured to be able to contribute to this important Inquiry through the role of Co-Chair and to see the potential of Social Action unleashed in our journey towards an equitable Scotland.”
Catherine-Rose is a social researcher with a wealth of professional, research and personal experience of care. Her experiences of kinship care and as an informal carer have inspired her to build a career that explores how the systems we live within could be reimagined.
Catherine-Rose said: “I am honoured to take up the role of Co-chair of the Social Action Inquiry. As someone who has tried to build community around every significant challenge in my life, I’m thrilled to contribute to an Inquiry that will help us galvanize the ways we take action together.
“I’m particularly delighted that we can shine a light on the work that people and communities are already doing in Scotland, to have the resource to strengthen that activity and the support to think about where power can be redistributed to making meaningful change.”
Catherine-Rose and Sam will shortly be recruiting an Inquiry Panel, along with an Inquiry Lead. If you’d like to apply to join the Inquiry Panel to help direct the Inquiry’s activity, or be part of the team as the Inquiry Led, please keep an eye on our website for announcements: https://socialaction.scot/
The Inquiry will also build on the findings and recommendations from the Together We Help research that explored social action in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Find out more about the Social Action Inquiry vision and background here:
Speaking on behalf of the partners who have founded the Inquiry – Carnegie UK Trust, Corra Foundation, Foundation Scotland, the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), The National Lottery Community Fund, and The Robertson Trust – Fiona Duncan (CEO of Corra Foundation) said: “This inquiry starts from the idea that social action is a vital part of the solution to the challenges we face as a society – now and in the future.
“The issue is not whether community-led action should be at the heart of creating lasting change, but how everyone can help create the conditions for this to happen, and to flourish.
Collaboration is at the heart of this, and it’s down to the collective efforts of the partners that we’ve reached this point. The partners are delighted to welcome Sam and Catherine-Rose and look forward to the Inquiry taking shape and beginning to help bring about change.”
New TUC analysis of official statistics shows BME youth unemployment rate has increased at twice the speed of young white workers during the pandemic
Union body calls on ministers to create good new jobs, extend and widen Kickstart scheme and boost universal credit
The unemployment rate for young black and minority ethnic (BME) workers has risen at more than twice the speed of the unemployment rate for young white workers, according to new TUC analysis.
The analysis of ONS figures reveals that the unemployment rate for young BME people aged 16-24 years old soared from 18.2% to 27.3% between the final quarter of 2019 and the final quarter of 2020. This is a 50% increase in the rate over the period, and a rise of 9ppts.
Over the same period the unemployment rate for young white workers rose from 10.1% to 12.4% – an increase of 22% of the original rate, or 2.3 percentage points.
These unemployment figures measure the proportion of young people who want to work who are in a job, and do not include young people who are inactive such as students. They tell us that BME young people who choose to work, rather than study, have a more difficult time in the labour market than their white peers.
Youth unemployment
Previous TUC analysis found that young workers generally have suffered a bigger hit to their job prospects than any other age group.
More young workers were made redundant during summer 2020 than in all of 2019. And the number of pay-rolled employees aged under 25 fell by 437,000 between February 2020 and February 2021. This accounts for 63% of the nearly 700,000 payroll jobs lost over the pandemic.
The TUC says this is largely the result of Covid-19 hitting sectors of the economy where young people tend to work, such as accommodation and food services.
But the union body is concerned that the disproportionate effect on young BME people is further evidence of racism within the labour market.
Government action needed now
The TUC is calling on the government to:
Create good new jobs. We could create 1.8 million new jobs in the next two years in green transport and infrastructure, and by unlocking public sector vacancies.
Improve and extend the Kickstart scheme. The scheme is not effective as it doesn’t guarantee a high-quality sustainable job on a decent wage for every young unemployed person. Ministers should also ensure that ethnic monitoring is built into the scheme so it is clear who is taking part and whether they are getting jobs at the end. In addition, Government should encourage employers to use positive action measures permitted by the Equality Act.
Give more financial support for people who have lost their jobs. Without a boost to universal credit, many will be pushed into poverty.
Provide dedicated careers advice for young workers who have lost their jobs.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Covid has removed any doubt that racism exists in our workplaces – and in wider society. And our new analysis shows that it starts as early as age 16.
“All our young people need opportunities as they start out on their careers – but they’ve been hit hardest by job losses in the pandemic. And some are facing additional obstacles because of their race. That’s wrong.
“Ministers must stop delaying and challenge the racism and inequality that holds back BME people from such an early age. And start creating good new jobs so that all of our young people have a fulfilling future to look forward to.”
Chair of the TUC Young Workers Forum Alex Graham said: “Young workers have experienced first-hand the impact of the pandemic. Many have lost jobs and others are concerned that without help from government, they will be out of work too.
“The disproportionate impact on young BME workers is another reminder that racism exists in the labour market as in wider society. More work is needed to tackle discrimination in the labour market and make racism it a thing of the past.
“The government must act to protect and create jobs and provide careers advice to help young people find work. We’ll be talking at our conferences about the all the action needed to stop the mass unemployment of young workers.”
Covering the period just before the current pandemic, the statistics suggest a gradual increase in child poverty levels since the early 2010s.
Two out of the four child poverty measures in the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act show a gradual increase, and two show little change. While the poverty risk is much lower for children where someone in the household is in paid work compared to those in workless households, not all work pays enough to lift the household above the poverty line.
Over two thirds of children in poverty live in a household with someone in paid work.
There is little change in poverty levels for working-age adults and pensioners. Pensioners are less likely to be in poverty compared to working-age adults and children: 14% of pensioners are in relative poverty after housing costs, compared to 19% of working-age adults and 24% of children.
New food security analysis suggests that while most people (84%) live in households with high food security, this falls to only 60% for people in poverty. A household has high food security if people never need to worry about running out of food before they can afford to buy more, and never struggle to afford balanced meals.
Household incomes continue to rise. A typical two-adult household has £27,800 per year after tax and including benefits. Income inequality has fluctuated since the beginning of this data collection in the mid-nineties and continues to do so.
Adults under 25 are more likely to be in poverty than older adults. Non-white ethnic minorities are more likely to be in poverty compared to white ethnic groups. Muslim adults are more likely to be in poverty compared to adults of Christian and other faiths and those with no religion.
Some, but not all, of the higher poverty risk for ethnic minorities and Muslims can be explained by their lower average age. Single adults, especially single parents, and those who are divorced or separated are more likely to be in poverty compared to married, cohabiting and widowed adults.
People living in households with disabled household members are also more likely to be in poverty than those with no disabled household members.
These figures are produced in accordance with professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.
Stemming the rising tide of poverty across Scotland must be the defining issue of the Holyrood election, the Poverty Alliance said as they launched their manifesto earlier this month. They call for all political parties to commit to a range of ambitious and bold action to boost incomes and reduce costs.
A Scotland for All of Us, puts forward a package of measures that all of Scotland’s political parties are being urged to back in order to loosen the grip of poverty on the lives of people across Scotland. These include:
Committing to a Minimum Income Guarantee, which would ensure that nobody in Scotland had an income below an agreed minimum level;
At least doubling the new Scottish Child Payment, and increasing financial support for unpaid carers and disabled people;
Extending free bus travel to more young people and to people on low incomes;
Ending digital exclusion, by providing low cost or free broadband to low income households;
Attaching conditions to all public sector grants, funding and contracts that require payment of the real Living Wage and Fair Work;
Adjusting our income tax levels and thresholds to fund greater investment in tackling poverty and exploring the use of wealth taxes;
Giving communities a greater say over how money is spent in their local area.
The manifesto is launched at a time of growing hardship across Scotland. Even before the pandemic, over one million people – including almost one in four children – were living in poverty in Scotland. Now with many more people being swept into poverty, Scotland’s child poverty reduction targets remain unlikely to be met without more urgent action in the coming years.
Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “In Scotland we believe in protecting one another from harm, and in the principle that every child should have every chance. Yet Scotland is also a country with unacceptably high levels of poverty and inequality.
“Addressing the rising tide of poverty that is affecting so many communities should be at the heart of every party manifesto, and with the pandemic still having an impact this is not a time for timidity. All parties must pledge to take the bold and ambitious action to boost incomes and reduce costs that we have set out, including committing to a Minimum Income Guarantee and to taking action to create a more just economy and labour market.
The next Scottish Parliament must be remembered as one that reshaped Scotland for the better, that prioritised the needs of those facing poverty and inequality, and that built a Scotland not just for some of us, but for all of us.”
Scottish Government Poverty Statistics background
The two full statistical publications are available here:
Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland contains statistics on poverty, child poverty, poverty risks for various equality characteristics, household income and income inequality for Scotland. This report also includes new statistics on household food security. The data comes from the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Family Resources Survey, Households Below Average Income dataset. Comparable UK income and poverty figures are published on the same day by DWP.
Figures are presented as three-year averages of each estimate. Three-year estimates best identify trends over time. Single-year estimates are also available in the reference tables. The latest poverty and household income data in this report covers the period from April 2017 to March 2020, just before the first lockdown due to COVID-19.
Persistent Poverty in Scotland presents estimates of the proportion of people in Scotland who live in persistent poverty. The data comes from the Understanding Society Survey, and the latest statistics cover the period from 2015 to 2019.
These poverty statistics are used by the Scottish Government and other organisations to monitor progress in tackling poverty and child poverty, and to analyse what drives poverty and what works for tackling poverty and income inequality.
Key poverty measures:
Relative poverty: A household is in relative poverty if its income is below 60 percent of the middle household income in the UK (the poverty threshold). Relative poverty is a measure of whether the income of the poorest households are keeping pace with middle income households across the UK.
Absolute poverty: A household is in absolute poverty if its income is below the relative poverty threshold from 2010/11. This way, it measures whether the incomes of the poorest households are keeping pace with rising prices.
Combined low income and material deprivation identifies the number of children in families that cannot afford basic essential goods and services because of a low income (below 70 percent of the middle household income).
Persistent poverty identifies the number of people in relative poverty for three or more out of four years. People who live in poverty for several years are affected by it through their lifetime.
Household income is adjusted for household size.
The poverty publications present poverty figures before and after housing costs. Before housing costs figures are a basic measure of household income from earnings and benefits. After housing costs figures subtract spending on rents, mortgage interest payments and other unavoidable housing costs from this basic income. In Scotland, poverty statistics focus mainly on poverty after housing costs. The poverty estimates in this summary refer to relative poverty after housing costs.
Household food security: Household food security questions were newly added to the Family Resources Survey in 2019/20. They ask about whether people were worried about running out of food, had to reduce meal sizes or skip meals. Food security levels can be “high”, “marginal”, “low”, “very low”.
Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff – more information on the standards of official statistics in Scotland is available. About our statistics – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
A study from the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed that 60 per cent of motorists consider the growing ability of vehicles to drive themselves as a serious threat to road safety.
Female drivers (66 per cent) and drivers over the age of 70 (64 per cent) had even higher concerns.
This is despite well-documented evidence that most road incidents are actually caused by human error, suggesting that giving greater control to the vehicles themselves in the future might actually reduce the number of collisions.
However, while automated vehicle technology could have the power to improve road safety, this will only happen if the new systems are used correctly, including through driver training to understand their capabilities and limitations, believes the road safety charity.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research, said: “Autonomous and automated vehicle technology is becoming an integral part of everyday motoring and while it does have the capacity to improve road safety, its capabilities must be fully understood to ensure we don’t over rely on them.
“Over reliance on these systems, and a lack of training on how to use them, could have a negative effect, with potentially worrying results for motorists and pedestrians alike.
“As an ever-increasing number of vehicle systems take on the tasks that drivers used to perform, IAM RoadSmart is calling for an understanding of automated features to be included in the UK driving test.”
According to government projections, 40 per cent of UK new car sales could have self-driving capabilities in less than 15 years. Meanwhile, advocates for a push towards autonomous vehicle technology also highlight the financial benefits to the UK economy, possibly almost worth £42 billion by 2035 together with the creation of nearly 40,000 British jobs.
Concerns still remain however around the high cost of research and development, making autonomous vehicles too expensive for some, together with possible malfunctions, data security issues and moral dilemmas as to what the vehicle should be programmed to protect.
Neil added: “Our research clearly shows that many motorists remain to be convinced about the safety of self-driving vehicles.
“While we wait for completely autonomous cars to take over from human drivers driver training will be paramount in ensuring that increasingly automated vehicles are an asset rather than a drawback.”
The pandemic has impacted us all in so many ways. As the vaccination programme rolls out, we can start to see a return to a more ‘normal’ way of life. But we can’t just build back to where we were (writes Cllr. KATE CAMPBELL).
This crisis has brought into sharp focus the structural inequalities that are woven through our society. We need to build an economy that offers more stability and, crucially, more equality for everyone.
Sadly, many firms are saying they’ll have no option but to make redundancies once furlough ends. The full impact on employment is still to be fully realised. This is alongside the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit, still largely masked by the pandemic.
So there is much to do.
Supporting business and retaining jobs must be the priority, alongside building an economy with fair work, sustainability and wellbeing at its heart. As your council we feel that we’ve an important role to play.
Together, with partners, we’re working hard to support businesses to get back up and running. So far, we’ve administered over £181.4m in grants to more than 19,000 businesses.
And we’ve been working on plans to bring back the Edinburgh Guarantee – first launched after the last recession, offering training or employment to all young people.
We’ll be relaunching as the Edinburgh Guarantee for All, expanded to support residents of all ages.
We know that people who already faced disadvantage have been more likely to be adversely affected – people on low incomes, in insecure work, women, disabled people, and people from a BAME background. So support will be focussed on those who need it the most.
We’ve been speaking to businesses, colleges, universities, voluntary sector and national organisations. We’ve met with employers from all sectors, gaining valuable insights into how the pandemic has affected different industries.
We’ve been struck by how much our business community wants to work together to rebuild our economy, creating good quality jobs and opportunities for fair work. And we’re looking for more employers to join us.
There are many benefits to being part of the Edinburgh Guarantee. We’ll help employers connect with a diverse and talented pool of potential employees.
With a track record of delivering employment support we can help businesses who want to promote inclusion and diversity in their workforce, with all the benefits this brings.
The Edinburgh Guarantee team will be on hand to help with recruitment processes. And we’ve been pulling together key resources, for example, access to funding to support recruitment. Getting involved will help employers to raise the profile of their business and connect with other organisations across their sector.
All this information will be available on our new website, launching soon.
But most importantly it’s an opportunity for our business community to get involved, actively, in rebuilding our economy.
So please get in touch with us today via edinburghguarantee@edinburgh.gov.uk – be part of the recovery of our city, and give someone that chance to move into fair work or gain the education and training that they deserve.
Cllr Kate Campbell is Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener.
Funding of £20 million will deliver a range of activities for children and young people and their families over the summer, ensuring they are provided with opportunities to socialise, play and reconnect within their local communities and environments.
In particular this will provide support for those children and young people who may otherwise struggle to access such experiences during the holidays.
Working with local authorities and partner organisations including sportscotland, Creative Scotland, Play Scotland, Education Scotland and others, the funding will support existing provision of community-based services while also widening access to other local facilities, such as school estates and local sports facilities.
Speaking before Holyrood broke up for May’s elections, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “We do not underestimate the physical and mental health impacts which children and young people have experienced throughout the pandemic, and that the impacts have fallen unequally across society.
“This enhanced range of summer experiences for children and young people will help address the impacts associated with extended periods of isolation and reduced participation in normal activities. This offer will have children’s rights and needs at its heart, and will provide opportunities to socialise across a range of activities, combined with broader support where needed.
“This will build on local summer offers, recognising the need for flexibility to deliver using local assets and connecting with wider offers from partners.
“Over the next few months we will continue to develop further all aspects of our education recovery strategy with our partners and stakeholders. Following periods of disruption to in-school learning, this will include how we can intensify and deepen support for children and young people’s progress in learning, including in key areas such as literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing.”
Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats have rebuffed a Conservative invite to work together to defeat the independence movement.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1375542962029989892
The offer was launched in the wake of Friday’s announcement of the formation of the new Alba Party, to be led by fomer First Minister Alex Salmond.
The new party aims to deliver a ‘supermajority’ for independence in May’s Holyrood elections.
The Scottish Conservatives said: “Labour have refused our offer to work with pro-UK parties against the new threat of an independence super-majority. They’re in coalition with the SNP in six councils. They abstained in the vote against Nicola Sturgeon. They supported the SNP’s Hate Crime Bill.
“You can’t trust them to stand up to the nationalists anymore.”
Rejecting the Tory offer, Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “We deserve better than your desperate attempts to take us back to old arguments and the politics of the past.
“In case you hadn’t noticed Scotland is in the middle of a pandemic.
“This election is not some kind of game, it is about focussing on a national recovery.
“This election cannot be about an SNP psychodrama. It cannot be about Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond settling old scores. And it cannot be about your petty agenda of game playing.
This election must be about the people of Scotland, their families and a national recovery.
“As you have recognised yourself, one of the largest threats to the Union is the leader of your own party.
“Scotland has had enough of divisive politics which you and Nicola Sturgeon share. Both you and the SNP want to waste time and energy on the imagined conflicts that divide us.
“But in Scotland, child poverty has risen – and was rising before the pandemic hit.
“This is among countless issues where the blame lies at the feet of both your party in Westminster and the SNP at Holyrood.
“A heartbreaking example of how the obsession with past disagreements fails people today.
“Rather than entertain your latest desperate plea for attention, I am focusing our energy on what matters – guaranteeing a fairer recovery and a stronger Scotland.
“Scotland deserves a better government and – as your letter demonstrates – it deserves a better opposition.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chair Alistair Carmichael MP said: “Lib Dems will work with others to deliver a constructive and ambitious plan for recovery but Douglas Ross’s politics are far too dark and divisive.
“We will focus on winning seats and ensuring that the next government is focused on putting the recovery first, not independence.
“As a football referee Douglas Ross has a knack for uniting the fans of opposing teams. As a party leader he seems to do the exact opposite.”
● St James Quarter will open its first phase on June 24th
● The opening has been carefully planned to work within the city’s framework for a safe easing out of lockdown restrictions
● John Lewis & Partners will also reopen in May following complete refurbishment of the shop
Following five years of construction, St James Quarter will officially open its first phase on Thursday, 24th June 2021 – bringing a new lifestyle district to the Scottish capital.
The long-anticipated opening has been carefully planned to fit in with the wider plans for a safe reopening of the city, with St James Quarter designed to provide a safe, convenient, and fun environment for shoppers to enjoy as the city begins to ease out of lockdown.
It includes natural ventilation throughout, easily accessible public routes and connectivity from key surrounding streets, covered car parking on site and an integrated plan with the city’s events programme for upcoming celebrations.
The phase one opening line-up of one of the most significant UK city centre transformations undertaken in the last few years will bring together brands from global to local, combining convenience and luxury with an offering that includes: Zara, Mango, Pull & Bear, Rituals, H&M, Kurt Geiger, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, as well as Dune, Bross Bagels and Salerno Pizza, ensuring there is something for everyone to enjoy.
The centre will also see many exciting brands making their Scotland debuts with; Peloton, Bonnie & Wild, & Other Stories, Bershka and Stradivarius offering their exciting products in Edinburgh for the first time.
In advance of the retail launch, Edinburgh’s John Lewis & Partners shop will also reopen on 14 May, following a multi million-pound refurbishment.
It will be accessible on the corner of Leith Street and Little Kings Street, ahead of its entrance within St James Quarter becoming accessible in June.
Still to come in the latter phases of the development over the next 18 months will be an enticing mix of more shops, restaurants and bars, a W Edinburgh, a boutique Everyman Cinema, a Roomzzz Aparthotel, 152 New Eidyn residential apartments, and an unrivalled guest experience providing customers with an enviable events programme in a range of new and attractive public spaces.
Martin Perry, Director of Development at Edinburgh St James, said: “We are extremely excited to be opening the first phase of the Quarter to the public. After a very long and challenging year, it’s a moment many of us have been waiting for.
“This is a significant moment in Edinburgh’s history, and we can’t wait to share what lies behind the quarter with the people of Edinburgh and beyond. A new normal demands a new kind of destination – a development that can respond to an ever-changing situation we are living with, one that serves the needs of its community as well as visitors to the city.
“We are working closely with the Scottish Government to ensure we create a safe space for shoppers to escape and enjoy. Our team is working tirelessly to ensure the appropriate safety measures will be in place and ensure we create a destination that can be truly enjoyed for generations to come.”
Donations total £1m and 18 million hours of volunteering
Faced with the greatest global pandemic in living memory, Freemasons came together in 2020 and donated a total of £1m as well as their time to help those in need.
The donations were used to help communities in various critical areas, including foodbanks, support for unpaid carers, personal protective equipment (PPE), supplies for hospitals and hospices, support for women’s refuges, and funds for NHS workers, ambulances and equipment.
Freemasons also worked 18 million hours as volunteers in a range of different areas, where there was a need, including driving vulnerable people to hospital, preparing meals, taking care of people at risk, organising care packages, producing scrubs, PPE and hand sanitiser.
At the start of the crisis in April 2020, some Freemasons adapted their businesses’ production lines to produce nearly 5,000 visors for use in healthcare settings. Since then, Freemasons have produced or procured tens of thousands of pieces of additional PPE.
Meanwhile, to help protect women and children from domestic abuse, Freemasons donated more than £165,000 in 2020. The donation helped more than 2,000 women during the lockdown, who received more than 1,000 parcels containing essential items for women fleeing domestic abuse.
Freemasons also focused their efforts on hospitals and care homes, donating nearly 1,000 tablets to provide vital contact between coronavirus patients and their loved ones. The tablets were provided to more than 50 hospitals, care homes and hospices. In London, hospitals including The Royal London, Queen Mary’s and St Thomas’ received approximately 115 tablets; while in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, some 200 tablets were donated.
Elsewhere, to support thousands of families struggling during the crisis, Freemasons donated 300,000 meals and 38 tonnes of food to homeless people, women’s refuges and vulnerable people, supporting more than 120,000 people in total. Moreover, £560,000 was donated to provide meals and help numerous foodbanks.
Dr David Staples, chief executive of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), said: “No one in this day and age should have to worry where their next meal is coming from.
“We are so glad that we were able to provide thousands of families across the UK with a hot meal or food donations to help get them through this current crisis. Freemasons have achieved all of this in just a few months and have also given their time to produce and deliver food to the vulnerable.”
The UGLE is also encouraging its members to roll up their sleeves and volunteer to help vaccinate the population. “More than 18.5 million hours of volunteer work were undertaken by Freemasons. Now it is crucial that we help in every way we can to protect the population. If the NHS needs volunteers, then we are happy to emphasise the importance of this to our members,” said Dr Staples.
He continued: “Our response to the Pandemic shows what Freemasonry is all about; supporting those in need, giving back to our communities and volunteering where it can make a real difference.
“Freemasons have been doing this for over 300 years and I am proud of the time and commitment that our members have given to support the nation in its fight against Covid-19.”
In addition to the £1m donated in 2020, the Freemasons have committed a further fund of £2.1m to support the ongoing Covid-19 crisis response. Of that £2.1m, £850,000 has been allocated to support homeless people through several charities with which UGLE partners.
More than 40,000 homeless individuals are being provided with food and essentials, transport, help with accessing services such as counselling and healthcare, as well as employment and training opportunities.
